The present invention relates generally to a conveyor, and specifically to conveyance along an incline.
Modern libraries have experienced increased demands from patrons, in terms of needs for larger and larger holdings of books and other tangible materials. Accordingly, it is not uncommon for public libraries, for example, to handle collection and distribution of hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of books and materials. Tasks of librarians in handling these ever increasing volumes are often overwhelming.
A particularly problematic librarian task involves receiving material returned from patrons. This task, when manually performed by library personnel upon such ever-growing volumes of books and materials, greatly affects time required to repetitively collect and distribute each piece of material, i.e., xe2x80x9cturn-around timexe2x80x9d is negatively impacted. Moreover, manual performance of this task may lead to repetitive stress-type physical injuries.
In attempts to minimize these problems, procedures have been developed to provide some degree of automation in the receiving task. For example, some libraries have proposed utilization of a conventional single conveyor belt system for conveying materials returned from patrons at, for example, an extra-library return depository or an intra-library return desk or, to a materials check-in processing station.
In many libraries, the return depository or return desk is on one floor of a library building, while the check-in processing station is on another floor. Thus, it is desired that a conveyor system transport received library materials upward from one floor to another along an incline. Such an incline is often necessarily steep (greater than about 25 to 30 degrees) due to structural and architectural requirements of the library building.
It has been observed that in conventional single belt conveyors, materials being conveyed upward tend to slip or tumble down the belt when the incline is steep, due mainly to an insufficient coefficient of friction existing between the belt and the materials. It has also been observed that conveyance along a less-than-steep incline may not even be possible when the single belt surface in contact with the materials becomes contaminated or worn and loses some of its gripping ability. Making the belt xe2x80x9cstickyxe2x80x9d, for example through use of adhesive-type surface coatings, is not desired in that such coatings may impart unwanted debris to the materials and may therefore be detrimental to the cleanliness of the materials.
In attempts to solve this steep incline conveyance problem, xe2x80x9ccover beltxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9ctwin beltxe2x80x9d conveyors have been proposed as alternatives to conventional single belt conveyors. Examples of these alternative conveyors are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,995 entitled, xe2x80x9cCover Belt Conveyor,xe2x80x9d issued to Blattermann, et al., and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,659 entitled xe2x80x9cTwin Belt Conveyor Apparatusxe2x80x9d issued to Uranaka, et al. However, known conveyors of these types are best suited only for conveyance of bulk-type materials in that they commonly incorporate two driven flat belts each tensioned between head and tail pulleys, making for a relatively narrow conveyance space between the belts. These other conveyors may also utilize meshing, engaging, or mating protrusions of two cooperating belts for conveyance of the material there between. If used for conveyance of library-like materials, the driven and tensioned belts, and in some instances the cooperating protrusions, of these conveyors may damage the materials due to excessive forceful action of the tensioned belts and protrusions.
Further, it has been observed that bulk-type conveyors utilizing troughs, tubes, flights, or buckets, as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,884 entitled xe2x80x9cBulk-Handling Belt Conveyorxe2x80x9d issued to Suppan and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,918 entitled xe2x80x9cEn-Mass Conveyor For Vertical Or Steep Delivery Of Bulk Materialxe2x80x9d issued to Tschernatsch, et al., are unsuitable for library use due to varying sizes of the library-like materials and potential damage caused thereto.
Thus, there exists a need for a conveyor that performs the task of conveying library-like materials along a steep incline, without damaging the materials.
An object of the present invention is to provide an inclined conveyor that performs a function of transporting materials along a steep incline angle relative to ground.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an inclined conveyor that performs a function of transporting, along a steep incline, library-like materials from a receiving station to a check-in station.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an inclined conveyor that performs a function of transporting, along a steep incline, library-like materials from a receiving station, to a check-in station and to a storage container.
A yet further object of the present invention is to provide an inclined conveyor that does not damage library-like materials.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an inclined conveyor that may be incorporated into an existing library building without a need for extensive remodeling of the building.
In accordance with the present invention, an inclined conveyor for conveyance of library-like materials from a receiving station to a check-in station includes an endless base belt conveyor. A base or materials support belt is tensioned around a drive roller assembly located closest to a ground plane, and around an upper roller at an opposing end. A tension-less freely hanging overhead endless belt is provided in juxtaposition with and above the base belt, and is driven by a slaved roller drive scheme in proximity to the upper roller of the base belt. A chain coupled to the upper roller of the base belt drives the slaved roller drive scheme. The overhead belt is structured so as to freely cover the base belt and materials placed thereon, and to provide relatively secure containment of materials upon the base belt, thereby allowing transport of the materials on the base belt along an incline, steep or otherwise, without tumbling or slipping.